Management Concern: Moderate    

Adequacy of Information: Moderate

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• The Great Barrier Reef is maintaining seagrass biodiversity with local fluctuations in inshore waters.
• Observations suggest that there have been shifts in species composition in some seagrass beds, but do not indicate any Reef-wide changes.
• Seagrass habitat has been lost through land reclamation. Seagrass meadows are sensitive to sediments from flood events. They are also sensitive to nutrient inputs.
• Increasing coastal development is resulting in the loss of both coastal habitats that support the Great Barrier Reef and connectivity between habitats.

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online:

• Global distribution of coral, mangrove and seagrass diversity 
• Diversity and distribution of shallow seagrass beds in the Great Barrier Reef
• Trends in seagrass distribution in the Great Barrier Reef
• Responses of seagrass to nutrients in the Great Barrier Reef 
• Composition and distribution of flood plumes in the Great Barrier Reef
• Resilience of seagrass beds
• Seagrass as nursery for fish and prawn species 
• Marine Monitoring Program - Seagrass 
• Development intensification and water quality pressures on the Great Barrier Reef ecosystems

Existing policies and management actions

• State Coastal Management Plan 2002 
• Coastal Ecosystem Management Position Paper
• Coastal ecosystem protection
• GBRMPA involvement in coastal development planning and assessment
• Reef Guardian Councils
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 
• State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 
• Department of Infrastructure and Planning 
• Regional coastal management plans 
• Seagrass Watch 
• Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
• Fisheries: other management tools
• Fisheries: information systems 
• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
• Plans of Management
• Environmental impact assessment

Future management requirements

• Draft Queensland Coastal Management Plan 
• Biodiversity strategy

Defined research questions

• There are currently no defined research questions for this topic. Research questions will be developed, giving priority to interactions/issues that are of most concern to management.

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring